


1k

by deepestbluest



Category: Naruto
Genre: Canon Compliant, Getting Together, Iruka experiences the existential crisis everyone feels when an embarrassing photo shows up, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:48:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22961200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deepestbluest/pseuds/deepestbluest
Summary: A picture says a thousand words, but not all pictures say the same thousand things.Or: Ebisu finds a faceless photo of a topless man, and Kakashi wants to kiss Iruka.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka
Comments: 24
Kudos: 442





	1k

**Author's Note:**

> Big s/o to DuckDuckGo for letting me look up genuinely sexy calendars for reference without telling Google what I was doing when I realized I hadn’t actually seen one and had to do some private searching 😅 Ty for the save, bruh

The photo doesn’t include the man’s face. If it did, it would just be a photo of a man and they wouldn’t be so interested. It doesn’t include one, though, and the mystery of who the man is, is too interesting to pass up.

Asuma, Guy, Kurenai, Anko, and Kakashi frown at Ebisu’s discovery, laid out on the table in the dango shop, all looking for a clue that will enlighten them to the man’s identity.

“Remind me where you found it?” Kakashi asks faintly. It’s difficult to concentrate when the photo is still in plain view.

“It was in a book I borrowed from a friend,” Ebisu says. He swallows. “She’d assured me the contents would be… interesting. I don’t think she meant this, though.”

Anko taps the edge of the photo near the man’s hip. “If it were me, I would keep this to myself.”

“Neither would I, if only to make sure it didn’t get lost,” Kurenai agrees. She tilts her head as if a looking from a different angle might let her see more of his face.

Asuma sighs. “Kurenai.”

“What? Is there a reason I can't look?”

“Besides not knowing if the person in this is okay with us seeing it?”

Kurenai raises both brows, and Asuma shrugs.

“Not really.”

_What can we do? This is how they are._

Jounin really shouldn't be this transparent, but this is Asuma. He and Kurenai have been walking the strange line between blatant and secret for ages.

“He’s certainly enjoying his youth, isn’t he?” Guy asks brightly.

No one disagrees.

Kakashi looks over the photo one more time. If he analyzes the man in pieces rather than the photo as a whole, it might work.

The man is standing mostly in profile but twisted toward the camera at the waist, bare arms raised and bent at the elbows so his hands reach the back of his head. His skin isn't unblemished like a civilian’s would be, but he doesn't have any unique scars. No tattoos either.

The lighting is professional, or close enough to it. There's no watermark, though, and the unnatural light that makes the lines of his muscles stand out further distorts what the black and white already obfuscates. Even the shade of the man’s skin is impossible to determine.

But the light and the angle don't obscure that he’s broad-shouldered and lean- meaning he could be just about any given shinobi outside the Akimichi clan.

He’s wearing pants, but only just; they’re low on his hips so they can see the waistband of his underwear, which are riding even lower.

So low that the photo is comfortably leaning past suggestive.

There's nothing else to be learned from this part of the photograph, so Kakashi drags his eyes up to the remaining clue, the one that's cause for everyone’s interest.

Around the man’s neck is what must be a shinobi’s headband. It’s on backwards, the metal plate facing away from the camera and the standard knot lying against his throat. The cloth could be the standard blue, but in this lighting, it could be any variant. 

Above the headband, only the lower third of the man’s face is visible- a narrow, rounded chin; long jaw; soft-looking lips, which are lifted in a small smile; and maybe a third of his nose. His cheeks are unmarked, making it unlikely he's an Inuzuka.

Beyond that, Kakashi has no idea who he is.

“Maybe he isn’t from Konoha?” Kurenai suggests. “He might not even be a ninja. Those pants could have come from anywhere, and even after if his headband isn't fake, old ones aren't difficult to find.”

They’re exchanging nods, all but Asuma visibly working over the problem, when the shop door opens and Naruto’s teacher walks into the shop.

Iruka looks tired, and when Kakashi checks the clock, he isn't surprised. The Academy let out a little over an hour and a half ago, and according to Naruto’s complaints, Iruka stays there after they leave to work for a minimum of an hour.

He stops when he sees them. A curious look crosses his face, and Anko waves him over.

“Iruka! Come here!”

Kakashi isn't sure how Anko and Iruka know each other well enough to speak as familiarly as they do. Anko isn't especially polite, but Iruka embracing the familiarity is unusual.

Of the graduates, Iruka’s most reliably speak respectfully.

Naruto’s pointed accusation that Kakashi is a rude old man this morning is the exception that proves the rule.

Guy flips the photo over and leans in quickly, bodily obscuring it.

Kakashi gives him a long, questioning look.

Iruka is only a few years younger than they are. He’s definitely seen more explicit photographs than this by now. It's one thing to be circumspect; it's another for Guy to launch himself in front of a photograph like that.

Guy coughs and shifts away.

“Lee,” he says quietly, and Kakashi nods his understanding. Guy has worked hard to foster curiosity in his team, but he's mentioned more than once that one of his students doesn't always notice when he's wandering into situations he isn't old enough to be in- not as much as Naruto but more than his teammates.

A chorus of hellos goes up as Iruka approaches, returning them with his own polite greeting.

“So, Sensei,” Anko begins, before anyone else can speak, “do you like mysteries?”

Iruka gives her a curious look. “It depends on the mystery. Why?”

“Because we have one,” Anko says indulgently. “It’s a mystery of identity.”

“And you think I can solve it?” Iruka asks. He looks understandably dubious. “Unless you're talking about a recent Academy student, I probably won't be very much help, I’m afraid.”

“We’re talking about this,” Asuma says. “Any chance you know who's in it?”

He lifts the photo off the table and holds it out to Iruka, who takes it curiously.

Kakashi watches his eyes widen in surprise.

“Asuma! You can’t just hand someone a photo like that,” Kurenai hisses.

“It’s not as if there’s a good way to introduce it,” Ebisu points out. “How would you describe it?”

Kurenai blushes. “I suppose you're right, but still…”

“So,” Asuma drawls, “is there any chance you could help us, Iruka-sensei?”

Iruka coughs. “I can, actually.”

Kakashi feels everyone at the table go still.

“And?” Anko prompts. “Who is he, Iruka-sensei? Do we know him?”

“You could say that.” Iruka’s face turns red as he says, “It's me.”

⁂

Ebisu chokes. “You can't be- _This_ is _you?”_

Iruka lifts his chin, defiant despite the increasing redness to his cheeks. “Why can't it be? I'm twenty-five, not a hundred. Besides, it was for a good cause.”

“Indeed it was,” Kurenai says, craning her neck as if she might catch another glimpse.

Asuma sighs heavily and takes a long drag on his cigarette.

Iruka clears his throat.

“There was a charity calendar,” he explains, still red-faced but not as starkly. “The civilian school needed some extra funds, I was twenty, and a friend asked if I'd be willing to help.”

Kurenai opens her mouth, only to shut it again without speaking.

Anko keeps blinking at Iruka.

Guy is staring openly.

Asuma lets out a long breath, smoke curling on its way out of his mouth.

Kakashi tries and fails to connect Naruto’s teacher with a man who'd pose for a photo like that, even for charity.

Mouth dry, he says, “Well, mystery solved, right? Looks like you knew more than you thought, Sensei.”

Iruka’s blush darkens again.

Quietly, Ebisu asks, “Iruka-sensei, could I possibly have it back? It was in this book, which belongs to a friend.”

He sounds like he'd rather be anywhere else.

Iruka, looking equally uncomfortable, hands the photo back. “Yes, of course. Sorry about that.”

“We should be apologizing to you,” Ebisu says as he takes the photo and returns it to the book. “It didn't occur to me that the person in the photo would be here, much less… right here.”

“In our youthful zeal, we stepped out of line,” Guy agrees. “Apologies, Iruka-sensei.”

“It's fine.” Iruka’s face doesn't quite match his reassurance. “That's how shinobi are, right?”

Everyone at the table nods, accepting the out and not commenting on Iruka’s obvious discomfort.

“Iruka-sensei!” a voice calls from outside.

Iruka winces. “That's Naruto. I should leave- I only came in to get him a surprise treat for staying late and helping me, and if he's already looking for me, he must be ready to go home.” Bowing exactly as much as is polite, Iruka finishes, “I'll be going now.”

He doesn't quite wait for them to make their own goodbyes before he heads out the door and makes his way over to a visibly impatient Naruto.

No one says anything for a long, uncomfortable minute until Asuma sighs yet again and says, “Iruka-sensei, huh?”

Kakashi, like the rest of the group, nods.

What else is there to do?

⁂

If that had been all there was to it, the incident could have been an uncomfortable one but not an important one.

Kakashi can tell the others are also having difficulty reconciling the image of their students’ Academy teacher who always dresses plainly and doesn't do anything to distinguish himself outside of his work with the man in photograph Ebisu found- and, even harder, with the concept of Iruka being in a photograph like that for a public calendar.

Regardless of his charitable intentions, he was still photographed like that for anyone to see.

The two don't quite fit together.

Kakashi is having trouble with all of that, too, but he has the additional weight of having been trying to flirt with Iruka for more than a year. He can't tell if Iruka is flirting back or not- usually, when people are interested in him, they behave in certain ways. Iruka doesn't do anything of those things, but he blushes when he talks to Kakashi and watches when Kakashi bends over to pick things up.

Maybe things would be clearer if Kakashi were better at flirting, but it isn't a skill he can just practice.

Still, even if Kakashi isn't good at making overtures, Iruka does seem to like his company. He lights up when Kakashi hands in a report or drops by the Academy to help him carry things under the guise of talking to him about Naruto’s progress.

It's a bit more difficult to keep his expression natural now that Kakashi has the memory of that photo- and the memories of remembering that photo when he's home between missions- but Iruka doesn't know that. His face had turned bright red the first time Kakashi showed up at the Academy after the photo came to light and hadn't entirely returned to its usual color while Kakashi was there. He'd blushed the second time, too, but not as hard. The third time, he'd only ducked his head a little.

Walking beside him now as Iruka heads from the Missions Desk to the gate to collect the guards’ reports, Kakashi watches him talk animatedly about his current students and feels his chest grow warm.

The sun is beginning to set, making Iruka glow in the softer light as he chuckles about a series of pranks he dodged today. He's endeared and annoyed by them- they interrupt class, but he’s too fond of his liveliest charges to mind as much as the other teachers do.

Chūnin Academy teacher Umino Iruka, stern and forthright, a man who can't help but love every student in his care, someone so soft-hearted he became a father to the child carrying the murderer of his parents. A man who couldn't will his heart to close even when it hurt him.

A man whose love saved the child the village hated and, through that child, saved Konoha. He's a hero in his own way.

Yet that isn't how Iruka sees himself. He only sees Naruto’s growth, not the hand he played in it.

There's something relaxing about being near Iruka, despite the uncomfortable, nervous feeling in his stomach; Kakashi just can't put his finger on what it is.

Standing beside Iruka feels like coming inside during winter. The cold remains, but it isn't so dire. It can be weathered.

It doesn't matter that Iruka throws off heat for everyone. Kakashi can still shed some layers, even if he isn't invited into the room with the heater.

Maybe that's why he was so comfortable dressing like that for the photo; he's so warm it feels better to take his clothes off…

Face heating, Kakashi tries to push away the unasked for memory of the photo.

The problem is, even when he's fully dressed, Iruka is painfully handsome.

Lit up by the sun, he looks like the perfect person to kiss.

If Kakashi could, he'd nudge Iruka into one of the alleys going dark and kiss him. Just for a little while.

Longer if he wouldn't mind chasing down Kotetsu and Izumo.

Kakashi can't do that, so he laughs along with Iruka and enjoys just being warm.

⁂

Kotetsu and Izumo upset Kakashi’s tentative balance.

They hand Iruka their reports. Off to the side, Kakashi shifts his weight, preparing to get comfortable ahead of the gossip he knows he's about to witness.

Chūnin are more casual with each other and with civilians than jounin are, and Iruka is well-liked. He gets pulled into conversation after conversation.

It seems like the world makes up for the conversations Kakashi is spared by giving them to Iruka.

He'd rather have Iruka’s attention, but it's helpful to be let in on gossip as well.

“Seiji was here yesterday,” Kotetsu says after a while. He has a particularly pleased expression, like Pakkun when the pack finds a bag of special treats Kakashi had been trying to hide. “You remember him, right?”

Iruka coughs. “I do. It's been a while since I saw him, though. How is he?”

“Same as usual- setting up little shops to make red-light content more available to the public. Narrowly escaping punishment.”

“He’s going to get caught one of these days,” Iruka says with a sigh. “At least he's careful about who he sells to.”

“Oh, but you see, he _did_ get caught,” Izumo says eagerly, leaning forward in his chair. “Apparently, a jounin managed to track a certain calendar to him and had some tough questions.”

Kakashi tenses. There's no doubt about which calendar Izumo means.

“Was it the usual one?”

“Was it the usual jounin or was it the usual calendar?” Kotetsu asks. He leans forward, too, his lips stretching wide in a look of unholy glee.

Kakashi’s mouth goes dry.

Iruka glances at him, then back at his friends. He scratches at his cheek. “Does it matter?”

“Not really,” Kotetsu answers. “Yes, it was the usual jounin, and yes, it was the usual calendar. For him to have followed things all the way to Seiji is new, though.”

“That's true. Thanks for telling me. I can't do anything for him and wouldn't if I could, but it's good to know.”

Kotetsu winks at him. “Don't thank us yet.”

“You can buy us all a round later,” Izumo says. “When you understand why we told you.”

Iruka looks between them. “When I understand what?”

“You'll understand when you understand.” Izumo sits back and crosses his arms over his chest. “Until then, have a nice night, Iruka-sensei.”

Shaking his head, Iruka turns and starts to walk away.

Both gatekeepers wink at Kakashi as they bid him goodnight.

Kakashi waves at them, acknowledging the farewell without giving them a reason to pull him in further, before he jogs a few steps to catch up with Iruka.

“I'm very sorry about that,” Iruka says stiffly. He doesn't look at Kakashi. “The two of them like to stir the pot sometimes.”

“That's what friends do, right?” Kakashi asks, keeping his voice light. “If Guy had been better at getting me to talk than sharing his own stories, he'd do the same”

Iruka laughs- weakly, but it's still a laugh.

“I suppose you're right.”

Kakashi nods and, teeth firmly planted in his tongue, doesn't ask the question he's dying to ask.

Iruka lets them walk for a while before he takes a deep breath and says, “I did three calendars, all of them with Seiji. One was for charity when I was twenty. I did the other two when I was nineteen. Those-” he coughs, blushing again “-were just youthful indiscretion.”

“Do you regret them?” Kakashi asks.

“Not really. At the time, I thought it wouldn’t matter- I had no family and no plans to have one. I suppose if Naruto ever finds out, I’ll have to deal with that, but by the time that happens, I’ll probably be long gone.”

He smiles to himself, the soft smile of a man whose child isn't especially smart but is no less dear to him for it.

Under the tease, though, is the tacit acknowledgement that they live in violent times. Perhaps Iruka will die of old age; perhaps he will die in an hour.

Kakashi considers that for a while. “And if you aren't?”

“Then I’ll remind him he doesn't have a monopoly on me- and I can turn it into a lesson on the fragility of anonymity.”

Iruka quirks a smile at him, and Kakashi smiles in return.

“I suppose you should be more concerned that he'd learn there's another form that naked woman technique of his could take.”

“Please don't put that out there,” Iruka complains. At Kakashi’s curious look, he adds, “It’s bad enough that he can distract as many adults as he can with the original version. Well, even if he did learn to make a male one, at least for now he's only thought to use it as a momentary distraction so he can run away.”

“I suppose he and his friends could get into all sorts of places they shouldn't if he figured out how to flirt.”

“Which is the least of the reasons to keep him away from Jiraiya, but it's worth mentioning.”

It's a wonder Naruto is as unscathed as he is, really. He’s probably willfully not listening to Jiraiya by now; anything about women runs into the impenetrable wall of Naruto’s studied uninterest.

The day he takes stock and starts to wonder if he hasn't just been friendly rivals with Sasuke will be an interesting one.

“I can't argue with that.” Kakashi tries to imagine Naruto flirting and can't quite swallow a laugh. “Naruto flirting is a long, hypothetical way away, isn't it? Even if he figured out what it is, he’s too earnest to be much good at it.”

Iruka shakes his head, but he smiles as he does- another paternal smile, fond and amused.

Kakashi’s heart stutters.

“He still hasn't noticed that the Hyuuga girl in Kurenai’s squad has a crush on him,” he says lightly. “If he were anyone else, I’d say he was doing it on purpose.”

“Flirting does take a lighter touch than he understands, doesn't it?” Iruka asks. “It’s easier when all you want is something you can take and run away with. Trying to say you want to keep something that someone has to give you without saying you want it… He probably won't need to do that, will he? He's charming because he's so direct.”

His smile is dimming, his gaze drifting.

Searching for something to keep Iruka talking, Kakashi asks, “Who's the usual jounin?”

Iruka blinks at him for a moment. “The usual jounin…? Oh, that. Guy must have figured out Seiji made the calendars. Should I worry about that?”

He doesn't seem to think he should, and Kakashi is happy to confirm it.

“I doubt it.” Kakashi shakes his head. “He's probably just enjoying the opportunity to test himself."

“Well, he's found a worthy opponent. Seiji is the slipperiest person in Konoha. None of the shinobi who've tried to catch him before have managed to corner him.”

“Slippery?”

“That photo you guys found of me was tame, considering the contents of the rest of the calendar,” Iruka says. He shakes his head, looking more tired than upset. “You heard us earlier, right? Seiji has a habit of wandering outside the red-light district to sell his work, so he tends to get in trouble.”

Carefully weighing his words, Kakashi says, “It sounds like you know him as more than a photographer.”

“We went to school together.” Iruka rubs his forehead. “He and I were friends, sort of. He got into trouble, and so did I, so we got lumped together a lot. When he decided that being a ninja wasn't for him, we stayed friends.” He looks at Kakashi and gives him a sour look. “Don't look so surprised. It's good for shinobi to know many types of people. Teaching at the Academy doesn't change that.”

He says that, but he doesn't look at Kakashi’s face when Kakashi asks, “Even pornographers? You have very interesting friends, Sensei.”

The Academy is looming just ahead of them, and in it, Iruka's place at the Missions Desk.

“You never did anything like that?” Iruka asks instead of answering Kakashi’s joke. “No small rebellions just to do something you aren't supposed to?”

Kakashi shakes his head. “It never occurred to me, and even if it had… My life was a bit too chaotic at that age, I think.”

Iruka’s expression turns pensive. It's better than most reactions to the reminder of the open secrets of Kakashi’s youth, so Kakashi only feels a twinge of regret at not joining him.

They reach the door, uncomfortable silence unbroken, but when Kakashi starts to say goodbye, Iruka takes a deep breath and says, “I don't want to speak out of turn, but it's a shame you never got to be reckless. Every child deserves that, even the geniuses.”

Kakashi swallows hard. “Iruka-”

“And, to be honest, if it had been you in Seiji’s calendar instead of me, well… Well, I probably would have bought one of the calendars myself, for charity or not.” Iruka’s eyes dart away. “Have a good night, Kakashi-sensei.”

He leaves Kakashi standing by the door, feeling like Iruka just punched him in the gut.

⁂

Kakashi is still standing outside the Academy, having taken two steps to the side to be out of the way of the door and the shinobi passing through, when he feels Iruka’s chakra approach.

“So,” Iruka says awkwardly as he steps through the door, “Izumo and Kotetsu gave me reports dated a month ago. I have to go back and get the ones from this month.”

Kakashi nods. “I see.”

“Right. I'll just… get going.”

Iruka starts walking away, gait stiff, and it takes Kakashi a moment to realize he should follow.

He takes a few quick steps to catch up with Iruka.

“Iruka-sensei-”

“You don't have to,” Iruka says quickly, eyes forward and face bright red. His steps get faster. “I shouldn't have said that. Please forget I said anything.”

“But-”

Iruka still doesn't look at him. “Please, Kakashi-san. I realize I imposed on you, but if you could-”

“I'm a little too old to do that kind of a calendar now, but if I’d like it if you wanted one,” Kakashi says over him, fighting a wince at the shift from -sensei to -san.

Iruka comes to an abrupt halt and looks over at Kakashi sharply. “What?”

Kakashi sighs. “I've been flirting with you for a long time, Iruka-sensei.”

“So you haven't just been walking with me because we’re Naruto’s teachers?”

Kakashi nods.

Iruka swallows. “If I-” He stops himself, looking completely lost as his mind visibly scrambles to find an adequate reply.

_Of all the times to fall back on politeness instead of impulsivity…_

“Hey, Iruka-sensei?” Kakashi makes himself stand up straight. “Will you go out with me?”

Iruka lights up. His eyes are wide, surprised but not unhappy, and his mouth is curved up in a smile that looks like it might hurt. “I’d like that!”

“How about tonight?” Kakashi asks. His mouth hurts from his own smile. 

Iruka glances between Kakashi and the gate, where Kotetsu and Izumo are waiting. “After my shift?”

Kakashi nods. He should have time to get his nerves until control by then. “I'll meet you here.”

“Then it's a date,” Iruka says warmly.

Smiling, he heads off toward Izumo and Kotetsu.

⁂

Kakashi is sitting on the ground, trying to figure out where to take Iruka, when Iruka steps out of the school.

“It's early, isn't it?” Kakashi asks. “Are you going back out for something?”

Iruka blinks at him. “No, I traded shifts with Kotetsu. Was that wrong?”

“No, I just- I haven't come up with where to take you.”

“Since I already have to thank them profusely with a case of their favorite sake, because this-” he gestures at himself and Kakashi “-was their plan, Kotetsu threw in a suggestion, if you're interested.”

Kakashi nods. “What's his suggestion?”

“Skipping the date entirely.” Iruka grins at the sound Kakashi makes. “I was thinking it might be nice to go for a walk. It's getting dark, but the sun sets slowly in the summer, right?” 

His grin softens as he asks, and for the first time, Kakashi doesn't mind his heart skipping.

“A walk sounds nice.”

⁂

Kakashi worries the whole walk to Iruka’s apartment, but they're holding hands by the end and Iruka’s eyes keep drifting down to his mask.

_That's a good sign, right?_

Kissing Iruka is easy.

From the shouted complaint from Iruka’s neighbor, it might be too easy.

“Goodnight, Kakashi,” Iruka says softly. He hasn't stopped smiling since Kakashi took his hand. “Ask me out again soon.”

“Goodnight, Iruka,” Kakashi says. “Next time, let's get that case of sake for Izumo and Kotetsu.”

“And some for us?”

“Of course.”

⁂

Iruka gasps, and the hand in Kakashi’s hair tightens. The other, already twisting the sheets, tightens its hold. His fingers are going to hurt later, but this isn't one of those times when he’ll be happy if Kakashi stops just to uncurl Iruka’s fingers.

Kakashi kisses the side of Iruka’s neck. “You okay?”

He feels Iruka swallow before Iruka says, “Never better.”

“Glad to hear it.”

Iruka strokes his fingers through Kakashi’s hair, and when Kakashi rolls his hips, pushing Iruka harder into the mattress, Iruka tugs on it.

“Don't apologize,” Kakashi pants as he pushes himself up so he can kiss Iruka. He knows the apology is on its way, and he doesn't want it. “It's good.”

Humming to himself, Iruka swallows the apology and kisses Kakashi instead.

He keeps kissing Kakashi when Kakashi fucks him harder, and even when they can't catch their breath enough to kiss, he says Kakashi’s name against his lips.

Kakashi fucks him harder than he means to, but his mission in the Land is Earth pushed him further than he thought he'd survive, and he wants to bury every memory of that place. He can't feel kunai slicing through his skin when Iruka is telling him this is what he wants. He can't remember how close death had seemed when he can see and feel Iruka’s favorite sheets. He can't think about dying for an edge in an endless life of war when both of Iruka’s hands are in Kakashi's hair.

The afterlife wouldn't have this Iruka, the real one who belongs to Kakashi, coming with Kakashi’s hand on cock.

The afterlife, if there is one, wouldn't have this man, and Kakashi has no interest in it.

Iruka missed him. He says as much in between the kisses he presses to the top of Kakashi’s head, and when Kakashi gets so close he can barely breathe, Iruka tugs him up by his hair and says, “Welcome home.”

When he comes, Kakashi collapses on top of Iruka. He had already been dirty when he got home. He'd been planning on showering and making Iruka a surprise dinner; instead, he'd found Iruka waiting for him.

“I missed you,” Iruka says now. He shifts a little, rearranging Kakashi more comfortably, but he lays his arms around Kakashi’s waist, silently asking him to stay like this.

Kakashi lets out a long, happy sigh. “I missed you, too. I came back as fast as I could.”

“So long as you come back, I’m happy.” Iruka taps Kakashi’s hip. “One more day would have let me finish your gift, though.”

“Iruka,” Kakashi warns, the glow of returning home and having Iruka to himself fading abruptly. “I thought we said-”

“Don't object until you've seen it.” Iruka sounds happier than he ought to be when they're on the cusp of an argument. “It took me a while to track down the person I needed, but I thought you might want to see them.”

Suspicious, Kakashi makes himself sit up. “Them?”

Iruka grins at him. “Check the kitchen table.”

Loathe as he is to leave, Kakashi’s curiosity is piqued. He shifts off the bed carefully and makes his way unsteadily to the kitchen.

On the table is a bag he'd noticed when he came in but quickly forgotten when he realized Iruka was waiting for him.

“In the bag,” Iruka calls.

Kakashi reaches into the bag.

Three thin packages slide out.

“Iruka,” Kakashi says slowly. “Are these-”

“Flip to May,” Iruka advises. “It doesn't matter which one. The month is the same.”

Kakashi grabs the first one and flips to May.

“Iruka!”

Iruka’s footsteps are quiet as he joins Kakashi at the table; his smile is half teasing, half embarrassed. “Yes?”

“These are…” Kakashi clears his throat. His face is burning. “When did you- How did you- I never-”

“I've been looking for a few months, Guy is very loud, and Seiji owed me one.” Iruka smiles as he turns and kisses Kakashi softly. “I know how ninja minds work, Kakashi,” he says as Kakashi starts to move away. His face is flushed and happy. “Oh, you got the one with the photo you've already seen. You should look through the others.”

Kakashi pulls Iruka against his side. “We should go back to bed.”

"We? You know they don't do anything for me, right?"

"I don't know that, but I do hope that I do."

Iruka hums as Kakashi kisses his jaw. "Good point. Let's go back to bed."

They do, but not until Kakashi realizes he forgot the calendars on the table and has to run back for them.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on [tumblr](https://asotin.tumblr.com) if you'd like to!


End file.
